ITM AGM VOTES IN NEW MEMBERSHIP
During the Annual General Meeting held at the ITM conference in Dublin on 17th April 2008, the ITM membership voted overwhelmingly in approval of 8 new resolutions to change the existing articles of association. The changes should not be dismissed as pure cosmetic association business, but rather as support for an agenda of change the board of directors has been embarking on for some time.
At the top of this list of changes was the endorsement by the membership for a new tier of member, the "Industry Practitioner" (IP) and the re-defining of the "buyer" category. Now that the new category has been agreed, the ITM board will set about implementing the new membership category over the next two months.
Essentially, the changes mean that only those who are 100% PAYE employed by their organisations to manage the business travel function will be eligible for the "buyer" membership status. Those who are on contract or outsourced will be required to move to the new IP category. In addition, this new category will allow consultants who were previously classed as suppliers (because they were not working to 12 month contracts with buyers) and intermediary account managers (such as those from a TMC, HBA or Venue Placement Agency) to join at a membership status which recognises they have a buyer representation role. All other supplier staff will remain in the supplier category, although one addition to this category will be the inclusion of those from services associated to business travel rather than just those involved in the core market.
"The endorsement of these changes is only going to enhance the association by recognising the change that has happened in our market," says Paul Tilstone, Executive Director of ITM. "The board are delighted that the membership endorsed these changes and are confident that everyone will see the benefit of the new model once fully implemented."
Full details of the new criteria will be released in due course and all members affected by the change contacted directly but in the meantime the other resolutions passed at the AGM come into full force ensuring the following changes occurr to ITM:-
The new "Student and "Alumni" (retired) membership categories have been ratified and will allow ITM to engage with those considering entering the industry and harnessing the time and energy of those leaving.
AGM notices will in future be sent electronically in future rather than by paper (saving over 6,000 sheets of paper) and the members can now view the association accounts (in a move to be more transparent).
The Immediate Past Chair is now able to vote at board meetings and the term of all directors is now limited to a standard 2 years to allow fresh impetus consistantly.
For more information on how the changes to the association will affect you please contact secretariat@itm.org.uk or call 01625 430 472.
